As Australia and New Zealand continue their shift towards renewable energy, solar plants and battery energy storage systems (BESS), demand transformers that can withstand extreme conditions, minimise energy losses and ensure grid stability is climbing.
Mining sat down with TECO Australia and New Zealand energy solutions business manager Gustavo Sgrott to discuss how the TECO transformer solution is engineered to meet these challenges and provide long-term reliability for solar and storage applications.
What are the biggest challenges for transformers in solar plants, particularly in Australia?
The Australian climate is incredibly demanding, with many solar plants experiencing ambient temperatures exceeding 40°C.
In such conditions, many transformers suffer from power derating, meaning they lose efficiency and require oversizing to compensate for performance loss.
At TECO Australia and New Zealand, we’ve addressed this issue with a combination of advanced thermal management, (ONAN) and oil natural air forced (ONAF) cooling, and net-wrapped continuously transposed conductors (CTCs). These technologies ensure that our transformers maintain full operational efficiency even in temperatures exceeding 50°C, avoiding unexpected power loss and extending their lifespan.
Transformers sustain full efficiency even above 50°C.
TECO transformers are built for Australia’s climate. Our technology ensures stable power output, even in peak summer conditions.
Aside from heat, what are other technical challenges in solar and battery storage applications?
One of the biggest issues in solar inverters and BESS is the generation of harmonic distortions and transient voltage surges. If not properly managed, these can cause:
- Grid instability
- Unplanned outages
- Increased maintenance costs
Many transformer solutions require operators to install external protective devices, such as surge suppressors, to compensate for these electrical fluctuations. At TECO Australia and New Zealand, we’ve integrated harmonic suppression directly into our transformer design, which significantly improves power quality and reliability.
This minimises harmonic-related failures and improves power quality, while high mechanical strength prevents damage from sudden electrical stress.
Grain-oriented electric steel cores and step-lap joints reduce energy losses, improving efficiency and lowering lifetime operating costs.
How does TECO help solar plant operators reduce maintenance and downtime?
Traditional transformer maintenance is reactive – failures are only detected after they occur, leading to unexpected outages and high repair costs.
Our approach is different – we’ve built real-time asset monitoring directly into our transformers, allowing operators to detect potential failures before they happen.
Early fault detection minimises unplanned downtime and zero sequence impedance measurement and SFRA testing ensures winding stability and prevents power imbalances.
A vapor phase drying (VPD) process enhances insulation integrity, preventing moisture-related breakdowns.
This means our Transformers require less maintenance, operate more efficiently, and provide a long-term, cost-effective solution for solar and battery storage operators.
Future-proofing renewable energy infrastructure
With a clear focus on thermal resilience, grid stability, and predictive maintenance, TECO Transformers provide a high-efficiency, low-maintenance solution for solar plants and BESS operators across Australia and New Zealand.
Contact TECO Energy Solutions today at nbd@teco.com.au to learn how the team can optimise your solar or battery storage project.
